What is Stormy Daniels’ Net Worth?
Stormy Daniels, an American adult film actress, director, and writer, holds a net worth estimated at $250,000. She gained international notoriety in 2018 following revelations that she had received $130,000 just before the 2016 presidential election to remain silent about a sexual encounter from 2006 with then-candidate Donald Trump. This infamous encounter led to her receiving $800,000 for writing “Full Disclosure,” a book published in October 2018. Daniels later alleged that her attorney, Michael Avenatti, misappropriated $300,000 from her book deal.
In June 2022, multiple counts of fraud and embezzlement resulted in Avenatti’s conviction, leading to a 14-year prison sentence, four years of which were for the $300,000 stolen from Stormy. After losing a libel suit against Trump in 2018, she was ordered to cover $293,000 in legal fees, and after an unsuccessful appeal, she owed Trump a total of $600,000, which she has publicly declared she will not pay. As of now, she has yet to pay Trump. In September 2019, Stormy received $450,000 due to an improper arrest in Ohio a year prior. NBC also paid her $100,000 for her role in a documentary. During a cross-examination at Trump’s hush money criminal trial in 2024, she was directly asked why she hadn’t paid the $600,000. Her response was:
“I don’t have the means to pay that that kind of funds, and because I didn’t think it was fair.”
Born as Stephanie Gregory, but known as Stephanie Clifford, Stormy began her stripping career at the age of 17 after being persuaded by a friend to do a guest set. She ended up earning more than she typically did in a week at her day job. Post-high school, she began working as a stripper regularly, making about $300 each night. She quickly transitioned to larger clubs across Texas and Louisiana, where she could earn upwards of $1,000 in tips multiple nights a week.
Making the leap into adult films at 23, she secured a contract with Wicked Pictures. Typically, a contract for a rising star can pay around $75,000 annually, but for her second contract, her salary surged to $250,000. Since 2004, Stormy has also taken on directing for Wicked, writing, directing, and producing numerous adult films over the last decade.
Daniels has garnered numerous accolades for her contributions to adult films and has been inducted into the AVN, NightMoves, and XRCO Halls of Fame. Additionally, she has aspirations in politics, having contemplated a run against incumbent David Vitter for the Senate seat in Louisiana in 2010. With over 180 adult film appearances and more than 65 productions under her belt, Stormy is presently retired from acting in adult films but continues to perform as a featured dancer in strip clubs nationwide.
Donald Trump Scandal
Stormy Daniels had a sexual encounter with Donald Trump in July 2006 following a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, shortly after Melania Trump gave birth to their son.
For an extended period, Stormy denied the affair, but in February 2018, she initiated a lawsuit against Trump, asserting that he never signed the agreement necessary to keep their arrangement confidential. This lawsuit revealed that Daniels had indeed received $130,000 from Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer.
In March 2018, Stormy expressed willingness to return the $130,000 to publicly discuss their alleged affair, and her attorney at the time was the now-disgraced Michael Avenatti.
During a “60 Minutes” interview in 2018, Daniels…
She claimed that her encounter with Donald happened only once and that following a threat made to her while she was with her infant daughter in 2011, she signed a non-disclosure agreement. In August 2018, Cohen acknowledged having paid Stormy the hush money at Trump’s request.
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Early Life
Born Stephanie Gregory on March 17, 1979, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Stormy Daniels experienced her parents’ divorce when she was just four. Her mother, Sheila, supported the family by managing a trucking business while raising Stephanie. In her formative years, she engaged in horse riding and dance, working at a riding stable while enrolled at Scotlandville Magnet High School, from which she graduated in 1997.
Career
At 17, Stephanie began her career in stripping, adopting the stage name Stormy Daniels; she chose “Stormy” in homage to Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx’s daughter Storm and “Daniels” was inspired by a Jack Daniel’s ad featuring the slogan “a Southern favorite.” After performing at Baton Rouge’s Gold Club, she became a featured entertainer with Continental Theatrical Agency in September 2000, where she met adult film actress Devon Michaels, who invited her to join Los Angeles shoots for Sin City and Wicked Pictures. Stormy co-starred with Devon in a scene for Sin City, and during a Wicked Pictures shoot, she met Brad Armstrong, who offered her accommodation at his home. Daniels increased her presence in adult films, landing the lead role in Wicked Pictures’ “Heat” in July 2002, and was signed to an exclusive contract by the company in September 2002.
At the 2004 AVN Awards, Stormy was honored with the Best New Starlet Award and subsequently began directing for Wicked Pictures that same year. From 2004 to 2018, she directed over 90 films, receiving 14 AVN Award nominations in 2014 alone for her directed works. In 2018, she launched the “Make America Horny Again” tour, performing in strip clubs across the nation, and published her memoir, “Full Disclosure,” in October of that year. Besides her adult film career, Daniels has made appearances in various feature films and television productions, including “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005), “Knocked Up” (2007), “Dirt” (2007), and “Saturday Night Live” (2018).
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Personal Life
Identifying as bisexual, Stormy has been married five times. She tied the knot with fellow adult film star Pat Myne on August 29, 2003, adopting his legal surname, Clifford.
The divorce of the couple took place in 2005.
On November 4, 2007, Daniels entered into marriage with actor/producer Michael Mosny, known as Mike Moz. Following an incident in July 2009 where Stormy faced domestic violence charges for allegedly striking Mike, the two ended their marriage later that same year.
In 2011, Daniels gave birth to a daughter named Caiden with musician and adult film actor Glendon Crain, who is also known as Brendon Miller. The couple tied the knot on November 25, 2015. However, in July 2018, Glendon sought a divorce, claiming Stormy had been unfaithful and asking for full custody of Caiden. The next month, a judge ruled for joint custody instead.
Stormy Daniels’ arrest occurred in July 2018 when she was accused of inappropriately touching customers at Sirens Gentlemen’s Club in Columbus, Ohio, a state that enforces a “no touching” law for strip clubs. As Stormy was not a regular performer at the establishment, she was not subject to that law, leading to the dismissal of charges. Nevertheless, she filed a lawsuit against the police department in January 2019 for $2 million, asserting that her arrest was politically motivated. It was revealed that the lead detective in the case supported Donald Trump, and another officer who participated in the arrest possessed videos, photos, and performance information related to Daniels in his emails just days prior. An internal investigation in March 2019 deemed the arrest improper, and later that year, interim chief Tom Quinlan announced disciplinary actions would be taken against the involved officers. Ultimately, the lawsuit was resolved for $450,000 in September 2019.
In 2022, Stormy married adult film actor Barrett Blade.
Real Estate
In 2014, Stormy and then-husband Glendon Crain purchased a home in Forney, Texas, for $215,000. This property was put on the market in 2020 for $352,000 and eventually sold in January 2021.
A few months prior to their marriage in June 2022, Barrett Blade acquired a 2.2-acre estate in Dunnellon, Florida, for $535,000.
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Awards and Honors
Numerous awards have been bestowed upon Daniels for her films, comprising five AVN Awards, four XRCO Awards, three XBIZ Awards, four F.A.M.E. Awards, nine NightMoves Awards, and three Adam Film World Guide Awards. In her capacity as a director, Stormy secured NightMoves Awards in 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2012, a F.A.M.E. Award in 2008, and an XBIZ Award in 2016. Additionally, Daniels was recognized with a Positive Image Award from the Free Speech Coalition in 2009, and she was inducted into the NightMoves Hall of Fame in 2007 and the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame in 2014. May 23, 2018, was proclaimed “Stormy Daniels Day” in West Hollywood, California, where she received a key to the city from Mayor John Duran.